POLICING is no longer a job for life and forces can expect to keep some officers for as little as five years before they leave the service altogether, warns the Essex Police Federation.

A number of forces in England and Wales have seen resignations more than double since 2011, according to statistics obtained by The Times. It comes amid soaring stress and rising demands on officers.

Resignations at the Metropolitan Police, the country’s biggest force, jumped from 337 in 2011-12 to 626 in 2015-16.

Essex Police Federation has said that part of the problem could be that new officers “dip their toe in” to the job before leaving to pursue other interests.

Phil Suarez, federation secretary, said: “I think we have to accept the fact that for many youngsters now coming into the profession, it isn’t a job for life.

“Even really probably from a College of Policing perspective, it’s sold as a five-year career, perhaps, where you uplift your skills, you bring something unique to the party yourself. Maybe you’ve been a graduate or you’ve had experience in other walks of life.

“Whereas when I joined it was always going to be a 30-plus year career, I think in this day and age you dip your toe in and you do your five or six years and then you move on.

“I personally don’t agree with that way forward because we’re in danger of losing a lot of skills if that’s the way we go.”

Mr Suarez also said that the stresses and strains of the job are causing more officers to leave – and that looking after officers’ mental health must be a priority for forces.

He added: “I think when you look at the remuneration for police officers, you should look at the stress levels.”

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